`We are most certainly concerned about two hotbeds of instability, in Afghanistan and in the Middle East, that are situated in the immediate vicinity of the Russian, Azerbaijani and Iranian borders. They pose a grave threat of international terrorism and cross-border crime primarily due to the increased drug flow, arms trafficking and movement of fighters.`

President of Russia Vladimir Putin made the remarks in his interview to Azerbaijan State News Agency (AZERTAC).

“Let me specifically underscore that the recent terrorist attacks perpetrated in various regions of the world prove yet again that terrorism can be addressed solely through a common effort guided by the norms and principles of international law and coordinated by the UN. In this endeavor, there can be no double standards; terrorists cannot be divided into "good" and "bad" ones. And, of course, it is unacceptable and extremely dangerous to try to exploit terrorist and radical extremist groups out of political and geopolitical interests. These are the very principles that our countries actively promote within the international community in an effort to broaden and strengthen as much as possible international cooperation at the political level as well as at the level of law enforcement bodies and special services”, said the Russian president.

“Today, we can say that Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran are engaged in a close dialogue on this issue. Therefore, Russia collaborates with Baku both within the CIS Anti-Terrorism Center and on a bilateral basis. Russia and Teheran have similar key approaches as well. We see additional opportunities in enhanced multilateral anti-terrorism cooperation within the SCO”, Putin said.

“Together with our Iranian partners, we are engaged in the Clean Caspian Sea operation aimed at cutting off drug trafficking routes. The Caspian Anti Drug Group of Five forum has considerable potential”, he noted.

“I believe there are also good prospects for intensifying interaction to counter terrorism and drug trafficking in a trilateral format”, added the Russian president.

More about: